Merchandise Product Development

Take trend spotting to the next level

You don't need a crystal ball to spot trends, but an arsenal of knowledge and experience is essential - that's where we come in. The Merchandise Product Development Program teaches students the skills necessary for ultimate success in the fashion industry: From how to analyze and forecast trends to techniques for developing and marketing new and innovative apparel and accessory products.

What Our Students Learn

In our program students learn the skills to:

Create distinctive apparel lines.

Conduct and apply market and trend research.

Apply garment construction principles.

Sketch in proportion and detail.

Use current industry technology.

Choose appropriate fabric and trim.

Sell yourself and your ideas.

Develop specifications for how garments are made.

Plan for financial success.

Why FIDM?

Students live and breathe a brand in our simulation of an actual design room and collaborate with major brands.

Our field trips give behind-the-scenes tours of trend offices, working factories, and showrooms.

We utilize the latest state-of-the-industry software and technologies.

Students graduate from the program having created a portfolio of work for a variety of companies, products, and brands.

I absolutely love Product Development - it was the best decision I ever made. My company has nothing but compliments for the way FIDM prepares students." -- Ashley Kelley, Product Developer for Camelbak

A Closer Look

The Merchandise Product Development Program prepares students for a career in merchandising established fashion brands. The curriculum focuses on planning, developing, and presenting product lines, and on the technical design of individual styles within the line. Students learn to compete successfully in trend analysis, strategic planning, line development, and preproduction planning.

For important information about the completion rate, educational debt, and earnings of students who attended this program, click here.

Ask FIDM

Learn about this exciting major straight from Students, Faculty, and Industry Leaders.

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Latest Post

On July 8, Merchandise Product Development Student and SF Social Ambassador Mehanaokala Pilago attended the Digital Art Gallery Experience in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mehana's friend and FIDM classmate Laine tagged along with her. The art gallery was presented by Sofitel Luxury Hotels and Daylighted, a San Francisco-based fine art consultancy. It featured local artists of the community, including Am StÃ¶hr, Hal Eastman, and Derek James Lynch. Read below to see Mehanaokala's recap of the event.

Written by Social Ambassador Mehanaokala Pilago

A tall, older man introduced himself to us as Derek James Lynch, one of the photography artists of a multi-sensory digital art display. As we introduced ourselves and started to speak about our journey in Product Development at FIDM, he was very interested with our backgrounds in dance, and the places we gathered our inspiration from. His photographs were shown at an extremely technical slow shutter speed, featuring a women frolicking through grass. Lynch then began to tell us the story behind these images.

He was visiting the Big Island of Hawaii â€” which happens to be my hometown â€” when he saw a woman skipping across the street. Wearing a long gown that flowed with the wind, he was immediately inspired by its movement, and found a way to perfectly capture that moment in a still photograph. Swallowing his pride, he approached the woman and asked her if she would be interested in doing a photo shoot with him a few days later. On the day of the photo shoot, Lynch waited in a grass field for her, questioning if she would ever show up. To his surprise she appeared a few minutes later. As he shot photos with his film camera, he didn't know what the photographs would look like until they were fully developed.

He then stood in front of us with a happy grin on his face, staring at his photographs on the digital screens before our eyes. His images captured raw movement and emotion. It was an honor to meet such a humble, talented artist, and truly inspiring to chat with creative individuals of distinct fields. I thank FIDM for giving us the opportunity to experience this modern showcase.

The FIDM Social Ambassador program is a team of FIDM Students who blog, tweet, vlog, photograph, and discuss their first-hand FIDM experience on social media. To apply to be a member of the FIDM Social Ambassador program, click here.

Social Ambassador Attends Sofitel's Digital Art Gallery Experience in San Francisco On July 8, Merchandise Product Development Student and SF Social Ambassador Mehanaokala Pilago attended the Digital A …Read more